TISS govt funded, faculty and staff can’t protest on duty: Administration

NEW DELHI: Days after students and faculty of Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) held protest marches against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, the institute’s administration issued a circular reminding them that they cannot join ‘any form of protest’ while on duty.

In a circular issued on December 19, by the acting registrar, it is said, “TISS being an institute funded by the Government of India, the staff and faculty cannot join any form of protest while on duty”.

It said such actions are against the ‘conduct rules’ and their absence from duty to join protests will be treated as ‘unauthorised’. Meanwhile, the government terms TISS a private institute which gets its funding.


The circular, issued with approval of the director, was only a reiteration of its existing conduct rules, registrar Bala Murugan told ET.

"We are not stopping anyone from joining a protest. We understand they want to do so. We are only saying they must not do so while on duty, as per our conduct rules from ages ago. This is only a reiteration and mainly to inform several of our new faculty who may not be aware of the same. It is only in their interest. There is no government direction on this and we are only talking of our own institute's bye laws and conduct rules,” he said. Sources in the Union human resource development ministry also clarified that the government has not issued any such directions or advisories to any educational institutes in this regard.